T-Th Class

Preschool Board

December Newsletter

Welcome to the Holidays...

The
holiday season is upon us. We have had the pleasure of caring for your
children for almost 4 months now -- it's hard to believe it is going so
fast!!! We have covered many things in that time and have seen the children grow so much in this short time. Now that your child has the routine down, it's a good time to start fostering independence.
When you arrive in the morning, we encourage your to let your child
take the leading role in their arrival routines. Your child should be
able to find their own cubby, as well as put their own coat and
backpacks away. Not only does this make it easier for parents and
drivers, it also teaches the children that they are big enough to do
some things by themselves!

2017-2018 School Year

Registration
for our current families for next school year begins on December 1st. We must receive the Registration form and fee for your child to hold a spot for next year. On December 12th, we will open the registration up to new families. All open spots will be filled on a first come first served basis and no priority will be given to current families after this date. Be sure to get yours in early!

Remind

Don't forget to sign up for the Remind App! This will allow you to send and receive messages, class announcements, etc. Please follow this link if you still need to sign up:https://www.remind.com/join/23dc4

How Safe Is Your Child At Preschool?

When choosing a place to care for your children, there are many things to take into consideration. We appreciate you putting your trust in us! Here is some information regarding the safety of your child here at school:

Background Checks

Our Pre-Kindergarten program is licensed by the Department of Human
Services (DHS). We are required to go through a full evaluation every 2
years to keep our license current. We had our licensing visit on December 1st of last year. Our licensing agent will also pay us a
visit this December for our "off" year. We are required to perform criminal
and child abuse record checks for each person (including volunteers) who
have direct responsibility for children or with access to a child when
the child is alone. We are also required to perform Federal Record
Checks done through means of fingerprinting. Therefore, if we've
committed a felony -- you're going to know about it! :) Rest assured,
there are no crimes in our backgrounds or we wouldn't be here!

Radon

Radon gas occurs naturally in the soil, and is produced by
the radioactive breakdown or decay of uranium and radium. It is odorless
and invisible. Prolonged exposure to high levels of radon is known to cause lung cancer.The Department of Human Services
also requires us to conduct a radon test in our classroom every 2
years. The school district completed this test in September 2015. The EPA
recommends a mitigation system be installed for any result greater than
4.0 pCi/L. (The average in Iowa is 8.5 pCi/L) The result in our
classroom was <1.2. Therefore, no action is needed. We will continue to
monitor every 2 years as required. Radon is also found in homes. The EPA notes that based
on data collected from radon home tests, the Iowa Department of Public
Health estimates that as many as 5 in 7 homes (or greater than 50-70%)
across Iowa have elevated radon levels. (I was
surprised to learn the radon test level of my own home was at 44 pCi/L!) To
test your home, you can purchase a Radon Test Kit at Lowe's or from the
local Department of Public Health.

Illness

If your child is ill, please be sure to call the preschool at 996-2030 to report their absence. We appreciate your calls!

Going to the Movies?

We continue to look for fun things to add to our centers for the kids to play with. The kids love to wear glasses while in our dramatic play area. If you are going to any 3D movies in the future, we'd love to use the 3D glasses in our center after you are done with them!

Weather

We will continue to hold outdoor large motor activity time as long as
the weather cooperates. We use the Child Care Weather Watch guidelines
produced by the Healthy Child Care Iowa to determine if the Wind Chill
Factor is safe for outdoor play. We will continue to go outside until the temperature and/or wind
chill is at or below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain temperatures allow us to go outside, but for only a short time. Please be sure to send all
the clothing (warm coats, hats, mittens, snowpants) needed to keep your child warm and comfortable! Because
they are learning to become more independent, we do ask them to at
least try to get dressed themselves. This means putting on their own
coat, hat, mittens, zipping, etc. (Mittens are much easier for them to become successful on their own.) If needed, we will assist them.
Their reactions are priceless though when they figure out they really
can do it!!
Also, when there is snow on the ground, please be sure to send boots! The
children will not be able to wear them in the classroom however, so an additional pair of footwear is needed to wear inside.

Delays and Cancellations

In the event of delays or cancellations, we will follow the Van Meter
Schools. They will post this information on Channels 5, 8 and 13, as
well as their website www.vmbulldogs.com. If they delay school 1 hour, we will hold our school day beginning one hour later than usual, or 9:30 a.m. If the Van Meter Schools cancel or delay for 2 hours, our Pre-Kindergarten WILL NOT MEET that day.

Christmas Celebration

On Thursday, December 22nd, theBumblebees will be having a Christmas Celebration! We have tried parties with lots of games, etc. and when they got done with all of that, the kids just wanted to know...."when do we get to play?" Therefore, our celebration will include activities based around the Christmas theme and also opening our book exchange gifts. Besides...every day in preschool is a party, right?!?! :)

You have received in your child's folder, a note regarding the book exchange. Each child is asked to bring one book that costs $5.00 or less.Your
child was assigned a name of someone in their class. Please wrap the book and write who it is to and from. Don't forget to let your child help! :) We do have a list at preschool if you forget whose name your child has.

If you are unable
to participate, please let us know so no one gets left out. To
help us celebrate during our holiday festivities, we are in need of a
few families to bring a special snack, drink and napkins. Please let me know
if you are willing to help.

Snack Bucket

We are still in search of our regular snack bucket. It is plastic, yellow and has 2 handles. Please check your cars and your child's drivers (if it's not you! :) We would love to have it back! Thanks for your help!

Upcoming Events

December 1 Registration for next year opens

12 Registration for all new familiesopen - all spots filled first come,first served basis